The best burgers in Beijing

From classic cheese burgers to guilt-free vegan burgers, we tracked down these crackin' burger spots for your gluttonous delights. Get ready to wrap your mouth around buttered buns, fresh veg and juicy patties.

The classics

The Single Cheeseburger, Fat Burger

A blast of 1950s Americana

With an interior straight out of a Bazooka Joe comic – and old-school American diner food to match – Fat Burger is our go-to for classic American griddle-fried beef patties. Packed thin and grilled under weights like a proper greasy spoon, these juicy medallions slide down way too easily. Stack your burger as many as three patties high, but be warned: the buttered bun, lettuce, tomatoes and onion add up and before long you’ll be rolling out the door like a proper American. 45RMB.

Drinks please What could be more American than a malted milkshake? Wash down your burger with a thick vanilla shake for a meal straight out of the film Grease.

Itis Burger, Home Plate BBQ

The country-style king

The powerful smell of applewood smoke that emanates from Home Plate’s Sanlitun location should be indication enough that these guys take their meat seriously. Two all-beef patties, hand-ground daily and lightly seasoned, get a good licking from the flames and come piled high with cheddar cheese, thick-cut slices of house-smoked bacon and a mound of fried pickles. 98RMB.

Add on Don’t sleep on the all-American treat that is the fried pickle. An extra order never goes amiss.

The Cheeseburger, Great Leap Brewing #45 Brewpub

The double-decker gut-buster

Great Leap has a reputation for quality eats as well as fine brews, and the Liangmaqiao brewpub churns out some of the city’s best-loved burgers. The Cheeseburger comes piled high with two griddle-seared all-beef patties, smothered with slices of American cheese and served on a warm, buttered sesame seed bun. Graced with a generous pour of Fancy sauce (aka Thousand Island dressing) and thick-sliced pickles, this is really two burgers in one. 60RMB.

Pro tip Make it a working lunch and get a pint of Pale Ale #6 on the house (weekdays 11.30am-2pm).

The Classic, Slow Boat Brewery

The un-fussy feast

You'll find one of Beijing’s all time favourite burgers at Slow Boat's awesome Sanlitun location. We’re talking freshly ground beef, lightly seasoned and grilled to perfection. It’s the simple things like a house-made pickle spear and a cold beer that make life worth living. 45RMB.

Don’t forget dessert Well, sort of: save room for a pint of creamy vanilla porter from one of Beijing’s best breweries.

The luxe burgers

Wagyu and Foie Gras Burger, Bistrot B

A study in beefy indulgence

The luscious wagyu beef patty shimmers as a thick slice of comté cheese oozes its way lazily down onto a bed of tomato relish. Two thick-cut fillets of foie gras are pan-fried and placed atop what is already a mountainous testament to French gastronomic gluttony. The flavours are intense and the richness reigns supreme. It’s not something for every day, or even every week, but it’s a burger experience like no other. 250RMB.

The Prime Cheeseburger, Morton's the Steakhouse

A high temple to all things beef

This patty is made using Morton’s signature imported, wet-aged, never-frozen Australian beef, which is then sandwiched between a buttered brioche bun and topped with a choice of thick-cut bacon, sautéed mushrooms or caramelised onions. It has a similar flavour to Morton’s steaks, which are hands down some of the best in town, at a fraction of the cost. The burger’s juicy, full-flavoured beef is of a standard that only the Chicago-based steakhouse can deliver. 180RMB plus 15 percent.

Pro tip Head over for the happy hour from 4.30-8pm and wash your burger down with way too many ‘Mortinis’ for 45RMB a pop.

Wagyu beef burger, Mosto

A beefy weekend treat

Brunchers in the know will tell you that at Mosto’s weekend bacchanal, it’s the non-traditional brunch fare that steals the show. Case in point: the wagyu-style beef burger. Unassuming in its composition and yet firing on all cylinders, the weekend burger at Mosto is a hidden gem. The Australian wagyu-style beef is topped with slices of bright green avocado, pickled jalapenos and Swiss cheese. 125RMB.

Drinks please This bad boy is only available at the weekend brunch, so save some extra room for free-flow sparkling wine, mimosas and bellinis (188RMB for two hours).

East Wagyu Burger, Feast by East Hotel

An Aussie twist on the classic

The East burger, a staple of the stylish hotel’s menu, features some damn fine imported Aussie wagyu-style beef, flame-grilled on a bed of beetroot chutney, topped with cheddar cheese, thick sliced tomato, crisp romaine lettuce and rings of onion. Sweet, earthy and bursting with rich beef flavour, this burger is worth the trip out to Lido on its own. 160RMB.

The not-so-burger burgers

The Taco Burger, Q Mex

To Mex or not to Mex? Indecision never tasted so good

Fusion cuisine can give rise to a whole host of identity issues and food crimes, and while the marriage of Mexican taco and 'Murican burger isn't something from beyond the realms of probability, Q Mex's combination of the two does little to offend and much to please. The crispy taco shell within provides some much-needed crunch to the action, while the well-portioned guacamole and jalapeños bite back nicely. It's not overly big, as burgers are often wont to be, with the bun preserving the structural integrity of its delicious innards right up to the final bites. 68RMB.

Pairs well with A napkin for your hands and face, firstly. But also, chase it with a plate of full-blown tacos (to share with your pals, of course).

Roujiamo, Ling Er Jiu

China's favourite non-burger burger

When it comes to tasty late-night cheap eats, the roujiamo reigns supreme. Hailing from Shaanxi, the slow-cooked shredded pork shoulder number is often translated as a ‘burger’, but really it’s a mash-up of well-spiced pork, cubes of fat and fresh green chillies stuffed in a crispy, soft flatbread – aka the ‘mo’. A burger by any other name does indeed taste as sweet. 12RMB.

Pro tip Add a hearty pour of black vinegar and you’re set.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, The Local

Because one cannot live on beef and burgers alone

Sanlitun hangout The Local has an impressive menu that’s been flying under the radar for long enough. Look no further than the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. The fried morsels of boneless, juicy chicken wings are bathed in a thick coating of fiery buffalo sauce before coming to rest between the cheeks of a sesame seed bun. Served with celery, sliced carrots and a hefty portion of blue cheese dressing, just like god intended. 55RMB.

Pro tip Pair with the nightly happy hour and get properly sloshed for next to nothing (pints from 20RMB, mixed drinks from 35RMB; from 5-7pm).

Pulling-Me-Jack, Arrow Factory

A cruelty-free burger for the adventurous

The beer and burger spot by the Liangmahe, Arrow Factory, now offers a new meat-free menu. We're particularly intrigued by the jackfruit sandwich, in which the Asian fruit is barbecued, smoked and then pulled – much like pork, but with less death and suffering – into a crunchy burger with all the classic accoutrements. Much more inventive than the typical portobello mushroom veggie burger, we're impressed by this one. 65RMB.